The present invention relates to a mower deck cleaning device for the type of mower having a rotating blade and to an improved method for cleaning a lawn mower.
One of the problems involved in the operation and maintenance of rotary type lawn mowers is the buildup of grass clippings under the deck and within the housing of the mower. The clippings may be removed by hand or with a broom or by scraping. Such a procedure has drawbacks in that lifting and tilting the mower can cause gas and oil to drain out of the engine of the mower. Also, in the situation of a large mower, the weight of the mower may be so great that it cannot be lifted conveniently.
Various devices have been proposed in the prior art to deal with the cleaning of clippings from the mower. One of these solutions involves providing a system for directing a stream of water against the inside wall of the housing and/or onto the rotating blade. Examples of this solution are the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Meuth 5,444,967, Wittwer 3,535,862 and Griffin 3,214,893. The blade then functions to fling the water against the inside surfaces of the housing to remove the grass clippings from those surfaces. The present invention is intended to improve the effectiveness and convenience of a water stream or other fluid stream in cleaning the mower.
One embodiment of the present invention involves a cleaning device for mounting on a lawnmower which lawnmower has a housing about a cutting blade. The cleaning device includes a tubular conduit mounted on the lawnmower and extending through the housing for conducting a cleaning fluid under pressure into the housing. A rotor is rotatably mounted on the conduit for rotation inside of the housing about an axis. The rotor has a series of fluid channels communicating with the conduit which are arranged to discharge fluid in the same rotary direction about the axis whereby pressurized fluid from the conduit entering into the channels of the rotor causes the rotor to rotate and spray pressurized fluid in rotating streams against the inside surfaces of the housing.
Another embodiment of the invention might include a cleaning device for mounting on the lawnmower having a housing about a rotary cutting blade. The lawnmower has a horizontal deck forming a part of the housing and located above the rotary cutting blade. The cleaning device includes an elbow having a elbow fluid passage therethrough. The elbow is fixedly mounted to and above the deck of the lawnmower. A cylindrical member having a first fluid passage therein is fixedly mounted to and below the deck with the first fluid passage in communication with the elbow fluid passage. There is also provided a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted within the cylindrical member for rotation about a vertical axis. The cylindrical member has a group of second fluid passages extending from the first fluid passage to an area just above and adjacent to the rotor. The cylindrical rotor has a series of fluid channels communicating with the second fluid passages. The fluid channels have exit portions which are directed horizontally and in the same rotary direction about the axis whereby pressurized fluid exiting from the exit portions causes the rotor to rotate and spray pressurized fluid horizontally in rotating streams against the inside surfaces of the housing.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of cleaning a lawn mower. A spray nozzle is mounted on the mower for repeated motion through a path. The method also includes forcing pressurized fluid through the spray nozzle to repeatedly strike deposited grass clippings on the mower to wash them from the mower.